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Burton was born in Castro Valley, California on February 10, 1962. He died on September 27, 1986 on Metallica's European tour when the band's tour bus flipped over in rural Sweden, which led to him falling out of a window and being crushed underneath the wreakage.
He co-wrote several songs of Metallica including "Master of Puppets", "Orion" and "Fade to Black".
Burton was superseded as Metallica's bassist by Jason Newsted. Quoting Newsted, "I always felt this shadow cast over me, and I always felt like I wore shoes that were too large for my feet whenever I remember who I replaced."
"When Metallica lost Cliff," said drummer Lars Ulrich, "they not only lost a bassist; they lost their soul."
After Cliff's death, Metallica made ...And Justice For All in 1988. Many Metallica fans, although they never received clarification from the band, believe that the album was the band's last tribute to their fallen musician and friend. It also should be noted that the instrumental track, To Live Is To Die, was written and composed by Cliff Burton.